Regular and Reserve personnel from the Defence Medical Services (DMS) have just completed a successful 14 day exercise delivering multinational deployed hospital care at the Army Medical Services Training Centre (AMSTC) in Strensall, York.

The Surgeon General, Lt Gen Martin Bricknell speaks from the exercise:

Joint Atlantic Serpent

Joint Atlantic Serpent video transcript
(ODT, 5.71KB)

250 medical personnel took part, of which 60 came from the United States, Canada, Germany, Norway and Estonia. The UK Reserve personnel were deployed from 205 Field Hospital and 256 Field Hospital as well as from 612 and 4626 Squadrons from the Royal Axillary Air Force. The Defence Medical Group also provided a number of Regular DMS personnel who are currently working within the National Health Service.

The exercise was a combined joint task force scenario with a 4 day assessment phase. This tested the hospital command team fully as it transitioned rapidly from supporting counter-insurgency to war fighting missions. Ex CJAS 18 demonstrated how clinical personnel from multiple nations can come together as equals and to deliver patient care to the same standards you would expect within a purely national facility.

Captain Reinhard, an anaesthetist from the Estonian National Defence College said
> I first received the benefit of receiving this training in 2013 when Estonia deployed with the UK hospital in Camp Bastion, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to return to AMSTC on Ex CJAS 18.

Deploying such a large hospital allowed the planners to include additional capabilities that would not normally be exercised in this environment. Some examples included a primary health care, an aeromedical support unit and a critical care in the air support team.

Corporal Neil Hudson, an Exercise Remedial Instructor (ERI) said
> The exercise was a good learning experience for me as it showed me a new environment in which I could be utilised as an ERI if there is a requirement for a role 3 theatre hospital

RAF Halton supported the exercise by providing 20 students awaiting trade training (SATT): these individuals worked tirelessly to ensure the hospital personnel received enough casualties to simulate the major joint operation scenario.

Corporal Rourke, the JNCO responsible for the SATTs said
> The guys were really chuffed with the thanks… it’s been nice to see them enjoy themselves as part of work away from RAF Halton.

The success of Ex CJAS 18 will encourage future development of the concept allowing UK personnel to increase their exposure to other nations clinical capabilities and some of the more unusual disciplines that are not common within the UK.

*ERI]: Exercise Remedial Instructor
*[AMSTC]: Army Medical Services Training Centre

The ‘Future Starts Today’ report indicates that the world has reached a critical point in the need to tackle the evolution of threats faced in the current climate.

Welcoming the report, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

This report makes clear that we are living in a world becoming rapidly more dangerous, with intensifying challenges from state aggressors who flout the rules, terrorists who want to harm our way of life and the technological race with our adversaries. Identifying these threats means we can continue to build an Armed Forces that can stay ahead of them.

The last Strategic Defence and Security Review, published three years ago, identified four main areas of threat, including the evolution of extremist terrorism, the resurgence of state-based threats, the rapid advance of technology on all fronts and the erosion of the rules-based international order.

The sixth edition of the Global Strategic Trends report recognises the danger of those threats, but also sets out how they are continuing to speed up and intersect to create new and unparalleled risks.

It outlines how regional powers could develop nuclear capabilities with global reach, internationally accepted rules on chemical weapons are ignored, and non-state actors could acquire sophisticated missile technology. It also describes how the interaction between climate change, demand for resources and over-population drives competition, that could lead to conflict.

UK Defence has always been at the forefront of global military capabilities and has risen to meet threats ranging from global conflicts, insurgent warfare, disinformation campaigns and offensive cyber. This has ensured the UK maintains a military edge over adversaries.

The MOD’s thinktank, the Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre, worked on this comprehensive report for two years. They drew on a range of analysis across academia, business, government departments and nations from across the globe. The findings support those who formulate Defence policy, strategy and capability development, and includes a range of innovations. This has been evident in the development of the MOD’s Arctic Strategy, Space Strategy and approach to future autonomous systems.

The MOD’s research teams used a suite of research methods to provide insight into alternate, plausible futures, watchpoints and discontinuities. Through this analysis UK Defence has identified key areas that have the potential to profoundly change humanity over the coming years.

The sixth edition of the Global Strategic Trends report can be read here.